Overall, despite all the waiting around, I found the whole experience enjoyable. I met a number of interesting people (Jamie, Liz, Debra, Stuart, Obed etc) from all walks of life and it was great to play a small role in the British legal system.

On my final full day of Jury Service, whilst sitting and waiting in the Jury Lounge, I wrote the following:

The trial of waiting

A murmur of chatter fills the room
All ages sit with varying degrees of patience
Some pass the hours with head buried in a good book
Older folk tend to chat
Youngsters remain largely in their own world – attached to technology
A few try to work, tapping away on laptops
All wait for inevitable news to arrive
The Jury Officer duly appears, a young man whose presence cheers the room
Sometimes he brings no news
Other times his telling of cancelled trials is greeted with silent glee
In silence the masses sit
A list of names is read aloud
‘No longer needed’, the lucky few collect their meagre possessions and depart
Eventually, names are announced for a new trial
Mobiles are placed in lockers in silence
Those selected depart to play their role in English justice
For those who remain the trial of waiting continues